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Encyclopedia / Shrimp / Vampire shrimp
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Vampire shrimp

Atya gabonensis · African fan shrimp, Gabon shrimp, Viper shrimp

Peaceful giant shrimp.

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15 cmAdult size ✓
24–29 °CTemperature ✓
6.5–7.8pH ✓
76 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (24–29 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Vampire shrimp only grows to 15 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (24–29 °C vs 10–22 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
With conditions
  • Congo tetra will eat baby vampire shrimp. Add lots of moss and plants so some survive.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

242 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ✓Can live alone
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Bottom
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 6–10 cm
Growth Slow

Behavior

Peaceful giant shrimp.

Food

Fine powdered foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

MaleVery thick front legs
FemaleThinner legs
TipLeg thickness
How hard to tellModerate

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Larval (needs sea water) ·

Adults spawn in fresh water, but the larvae develop in the sea (salt water) before returning to fresh water as juveniles. Captive breeding is essentially not achieved; aquarium animals are wild-caught.

Pairing

Buy a group of 3-5 adults. Females are larger.

Setup

The larvae need full-strength sea water, a separate tank and fine plankton.

What starts it

Not well understood in captivity; rarely achieved.

Eggs

Wild females carried 850-12,220 eggs each.

Raising the fry

Larvae need sea water and fine plankton. Survival is poor.

Common mistakes
  • Expecting freshwater fry to survive
  • Keeping adults with aggressive fish
  • Poor oxygen and flow
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionWest Africa and northeastern South America
Rivers and lakesCoastal rivers of West Africa and northeastern Brazil
HabitatFast-flowing rivers
Native rangeAbout 3,000 km across
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The story of the vampire shrimp

A large West African filter-feeding shrimp that catches food with fan-like claspers and can change colour several times a year.

German zoologist Christoph Giebel described this shrimp in 1875. It is one of the largest freshwater filter-feeding shrimp, reaching around 15 cm. Unusually, it lives on both sides of the Atlantic, in West Africa and South America.

First described by Christoph G. Giebel in 1875.

  • It filters food with fan-like hands.
  • It occurs in both Africa and South America.
  • Its colour can shift between cream, blue-grey and brown.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources